


ship of theseus

by respectfully_simping (Friendly_Neighborhood_Spiderman)



Series: i think i've seen this film before (and i didn't like the ending) [3]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood Vines | The Crimson | The Egg, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family Dynamics, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Self-Indulgent, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Whump, feeding the purpled stans, maybe i dont have a plan for this i just like writing angst, no beta we die like tommy, warning: written while sleep deprived
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 15:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30023646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Friendly_Neighborhood_Spiderman/pseuds/respectfully_simping
Summary: Ship of Theseus: In the metaphysics of identity, the ship of Theseus is a thought experiment that raises the question of whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object.Tommy leaves Pandora's Vault with one goal in mind: free Dream.The question remains: after being broken down and built back up again by Dream, how much of him is actually stillTommy?sequel to my other two oneshots about the prison arc!!
Relationships: Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Grayson | Purpled & Sam | Awesamdude, Grayson | Purpled & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Sam | Awesamdude & TommyInnit, Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: i think i've seen this film before (and i didn't like the ending) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2191794
Comments: 13
Kudos: 51





	ship of theseus

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Warden](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29129034) by [oddsbodkins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddsbodkins/pseuds/oddsbodkins). 



> welcome to the continuation of my self-indulgent angst series!!!
> 
> warning: if you haven't read any of my other one-shots from this series, you might be a tiny bit confused. read those first !! or just go on and read with no context, i can't stop you
> 
> inspired by warden by oddsbodkins because they also have a prison au with sam & tommy!!

Muffled shouts were coming from the adjacent room. Purpled was stuck in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal, having raided the cabinets for breakfast but not yet feeling comfortable enough in Sam’s house to just take it anywhere. Besides, though it was slightly awkward, he _was_ curious about what Sam and Tommy were getting into it about. He could mostly hear Tommy’s voice, raised in a flurry of curses, and Dream’s name getting thrown around. It was harder to hear Sam’s responses, which wasn’t surprising -- in the short time Purpled had known the man, he’d seen him outright pissed, but he’d never heard him raise his voice.

The argument had apparently been short and heated, for the 16-year-old ball of rage was in the kitchen before Purpled was even halfway through his cereal.

“So, what, do you fucking live here now?” Tommy snapped, clearly trying to start something.

He grimaced, shrugging rather than rising to the bait and keeping his eyes on his breakfast. “Sure, dude. Now are we going to talk about what the hell you just messaged me earlier?”

Tommy’s voice suddenly got as quiet as he had ever heard it, lowering to a whisper-yell. “I don’t want _Sam_ knowing about it, dickhead. So are you going to help me or not?”

“Okay, see, that’s a red flag for me,” Purpled said, pointedly not lowering his voice. “I _like_ Sam, Tommy. Why would I do that behind his back? Besides, you can’t need sensitive prison information for anything good.”

“Oh, boo-hoo, you can’t betray Sam,” Tommy sneered. His voice had taken on a crueler tone, different from the lighthearted arguing they used to get into. “He doesn’t actually _care_ about you, you know. He picks up charity cases and then leaves them. Let me guess -- you showed up traumatized or dying or some shit. Because look how _I_ turned out -- locked in the prison.”

“You’re being an asshole, Tommy,” Purpled muttered, trying to ignore how the words stung. He wasn’t really caught up on what happened between Tommy and Sam and the prison, so he could only assume it was some sort of misunderstanding (because surely Sam wouldn’t do that, right?). “I thought you needed my help.”

“Look,” Tommy said, lowering himself into a chair beside him and looking at him intently, “Sam said you were helping him with fixing the prison. So you know stuff about it, right? He also said that people can, like, pay you to do stuff for them and shit, like Punz.”

“What do you want to know?” he asked carefully. “Because Sam trusted me with that stuff. I don’t want to just go around spreading it. Isn’t he, like, super intense about the secrecy of the prison?”

“ _Fuck_ Sam!” Tommy spit out, his voice a few levels higher than the rest of the conversation was. He froze, but Sam never came out of his room. “He doesn’t care about either of us, man, come on. Plus, he couldn’t have shown a random kid super secret stuff.”

_Well, he actually did, because he was desperate to get_ you _out in time_ , he thought. “Okay, Tommy, you gotta be honest with me here. What do you need any of this for? Why can’t you ask the literal creator of the prison?”

“Oh, hey, boys,” Sam said from the doorway with the immaculate timing he always had. Tommy jumped so high he nearly fell out of his chair, and Purpled had to bite back a laugh.

“I’m leaving,” Tommy muttered, getting up and pointedly looking away from Sam.

“Wait, Tommy,” Sam said, a look of concern passing over his face. “Please, we can work this out. Just stay here for a bit? I don’t want you having to take care of yourself on your own right now.” Purpled got the sense that it was an echo of their conversation from in the room, but with less yelling this time.

“I’ll be fine,” Tommy said shortly. “I survived a week in the prison, Sam, I think I can get home by myself, so stop _fucking_ babying me!” The last shout was accentuated with a slam of the door as the boy stormed out. Purpled winced.

Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. The room was suffocatingly silent, so Purpled awkwardly broke it by taking another bite of cereal.

“I don’t...I mean, I expected this, but I forgot how hard it was...I should just give him space, right? Like when I was first trying to help him,” Sam was muttering.

“Sure,” he offered, not really sure if the question was directed at him.

“I just wish he’d stay, you know, like you are, I just get so worried. He’s all alone after a truly terrible thing. It just hurts to think of him like that.”

“I think,” Purpled said slowly, trying to piece together what he knew about their relationship, “he feels betrayed by what happened, but I’m sure he’ll forgive you once he understands it wasn’t your fault, because it wasn’t. You were trying your best with what you had.”

Sam sighed shakily again and sat down where Tommy was. “How about you? Are you feeling any better?”

He hesitated. “I mean...okay. I don’t know,” he admitted. “I haven’t been able to sleep more than an hour at a time, even after I got over the fever. And the voices don’t stop, you know? It’s every time I’m alone.” He looked up, half-expecting Sam to chuckle and say _haha, that’s relatable, we’ll get through it together, man_ , but he just looked deeply bothered. “I mean, that’s normal, right, Sam? You said so yourself, the egg fucks you up.”

After the whole egg incident, he had gotten sick while his body struggled to heal the stab wound. The fever and lack of appetite was enough for Sam to suggest the whispering in his head was from deliriousness or fever dreams, but when he got up this morning feeling physically a lot better, they didn’t stop. They were mostly unintelligible, though he wondered if it was better than hearing clearly what they were saying. His only reprieve was talking to people (but by people he really just meant Sam).

“That’s a little concerning,” Sam started, and Purpled’s heart sank. “Mostly just because I haven’t heard anything since we left, and we were in there for the same amount of time.”

“Maybe it affects people in different ways?” he tried. “Fuck, Sam, I don’t know. What if it tries to get me to do something I don’t want to do?”

“Honestly, I don’t think it will,” Sam said with a small smile. “You said you haven’t been able to hear it clearly since we were there, right? It’s not going to brainwash you or anything. You’re safe here, okay?”

“Okay,” he echoed, feeling a small pang of guilt at bringing it up while Sam was obviously worried about a traumatized Tommy wandering around God-knows-where.

“I’ll talk to Puffy about it, though, and get back to you,” he added. “She’s also had experience with the Egg, and maybe she’ll know something about what’s going on.”

“That would be great, thanks,” Purpled said, forcing some brightness into his voice. He honestly wished she was around more often; after they had sorted out the whole threatening Sam misunderstanding, they quickly hit it off as friends, and he felt safe around her. She was in Snowchester at the moment; the small colony had fallen into somewhat of a panic at the discovery of one of their nukes missing, which is why Tubbo wasn’t able to help with the prison and why he hadn’t been able to see either of them since the Egg incident.

Maybe one day, after he got better and Tommy and Sam made up and the world was right again, he could find a home on the small island.

_No,_ something hissed in his ear, clear as day, and he jumped.

“Did you hear that?” he demanded, but he already knew the answer.

Sam just looked lost. “...Hear what?”

Purpled shook his head. “Nothing,” he muttered. It was fine. He was just hearing things. He was _fine_.

“Okay…” Sam said slowly when he didn’t elaborate, standing up. “I need to work on a couple things in the prison. Will you be alright here alone?”

“Yeah, it’s all good,” he replied. He needed to be alone to talk more to Tommy, anyway. Sam had cut their conversation short, and he was curious about what all Tommy needed to know and what it was for. An idea sprung into his mind. “Hey, maybe I could visit later? Dream, I mean.”

Sam, who was standing up and gathering his stuff to leave, abruptly stilled. “Why do you want to visit him?”

“Call it a morbid curiosity.”

“Dream’s not something to mess with, kid. He gets in your head,” he warned. “Plus, I’d rather you stay here and rest.”

“Come on, Sam, I’ll be fine! Please?” He gave him a bright smile, which had always worked on him since they first ran into each other the day Tommy got trapped.

Sam sighed. “Okay, I guess I can squeeze in a visit later today. It’s more boring than you think with all the security involved. Message me if you change your mind though, or if you need me for anything. I’ll be back in a bit or give you a time to meet me in the prison.”

“Thanks Sam! Love you!” Purpled called, and he could practically feel the eye roll Sam gave him as he closed the door behind him. He had learned that Sam wasn’t necessarily the type to voice his affection, or really show it either, if several awkward one-sided hugs had taught him anything. He had a way of simply being there to show that he cared, or helping out with the small things. Regardless, he was determined to get the guy to open up one day.

* * *

“Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Tommy said. They were sitting on a hill near Sam’s house. The teenager looked worse for the wear, with matted, dirty hair and a thin, pale face. Purpled could see why Sam would want him to stay for a bit instead of running back off on his own. “I’m trying to set Dream free.”

“You’re kidding,” Purpled said flatly. “You’re actually joking with me right now.”

“I’m not!” Tommy protested. “He’s changed. Or maybe _I’ve_ changed. I don’t know. Does it matter?”

“I mean, yeah, it does matter. If he hasn’t really changed, he’ll just hurt more people once he’s set free.”

“You don’t _understand,_ ” Tommy said, sounding frustrated. “He only ever tries to help. I mean, he _doesn’t,_ but he does, you know?”

“No,” he said blankly.  
Tommy sighed, looking at the sky. “Dream’s my best friend. I can’t just leave him. Well--yeah, yeah, he’s my best friend.”

“And Sam can’t help because…?”

“Shut up about Sam!” he snapped. “Sam can’t help, okay? You don’t understand how he gets about the prison. He’d kill me if he knew I was planning anything about it.”

“Look, I’m just not, like, completely on board right now,” Purpled said. “I don’t really understand why you want him back, or if he’s changed or anything. And how would I even help?”

“Okay, you don’t have to do any actual breakout stuff,” Tommy conceded, sounding the most civil he had been since he got back from the prison. “I’ll just take you to gather our allies and stuff, and you can just tell us what you know about the prison so we can use it. It won’t be anything too detrimental or something Sam would get mad at you for, or else he would’ve told you beforehand not to share any of it. And! And--Ranboo and Technoblade are super rich, and I’m getting them to help!”

Unease swirled inside him. “I don’t know...can I get back to you on this?”

“Fuck, Purpled, you don’t--you don’t understand,” Tommy said, his voice slightly raising. In his periphery, Purpled saw his leg start to fidget. “Days feel like weeks in the prison. I’m still not sure how long I was in there. Dream could’ve made it so much worse in there, but he didn’t. He decided to _help_ me. Now I need to help him.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you what,” Purpled suggested. “I’m planning on visiting him later today anyway, so I can see for myself if he’s changed and decide if I want to help. Then I’ll get back to you tonight or tomorrow, okay?”

Tommy seemed to relax marginally. “Okay. That’s not bad. Tell him I’m trying my best, okay?”

“Okay, dude, I will,” he agreed easily, trying to sound sympathetic. But really, he was just confused. Wasn’t Dream the guy that tried to blackmail everyone on the server with the things that they loved?

_Awesamdude: I’m in the prison when you’re ready._

Guess it was time to find out.

* * *

The lava slowly fell from behind Purpled, trapping him in with Dream.

No, not trapped. He could technically leave at any moment.

_Well_. Tommy couldn’t. Anyway.

“Who are you again?” Dream asked with a smirk, teasing like they were old friends.

“Hey, Dream,” he said, trying to sound casual, but nerves were eating at his insides. He trusted Sam, sure, but the way Tommy’s visit went didn’t exactly inspire confidence in the Warden’s security measures. Not to mention that Sam was stone-cold the entire way through security, only saying what he needed to and obviously disapproving of the visit.

“What are you doing here? I figured Sam wouldn’t allow visitors after what happened.”

“I convinced him,” Purpled said vaguely. “I wanted to see what you were up to in here. We’ve been on the same side in a few wars. Allies.”

“Not friends?”

“Do you have any friends?”

“I have Tommy. But you knew that, I think,” Dream said, leaning against the wall. “Did he send you here?”

Purpled hesitated. “Nobody sent me,” he said, “but I did tell him I was coming. He wanted me to tell you that he was trying his best.”

“Are you in on it, then?” Dream asked, pinning him with his sharp gaze. “Has he told you?”

He paused for a moment too long before forcing out, “told me what?”

Dream laughed, the sound harsh and grating. “Wow, you are so out of your depth, kid. It’s okay! I’ll help you out. Look, I know you’re scared of me. Completely understandable! Everyone is, at first.” His tone was too kind and bright to match the words coming out of his mouth. It reminded him too much of Bad’s cheerfulness when he was kidnapped by the Eggpire. “But, look, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to get out, one way or another.”

Dream tilted his head, clearly waiting for a reaction. When Purpled didn’t say anything, he continued, “I know my sentence is technically forever. But forever is a long time. Anything can happen! And when I get out, there are going to be two types of people: people who helped me and people who left me in here.”

“How? The whole server is against you; it’s how you ended up in here.”

“Look, kid. I’m going to tell you what I told Tommy. I have more power in here than you will ever have out there. I have someone who does exactly as I say when I need it. I have Tommy, now. The blood god, Technoblade, _owes_ me. I have the secret to life! I’m a god, even in here.” Dream was grinning as he finished his sentence, the light from the lava highlighting the maniacal gleam in his eyes.

“Let me get this straight. You’re going to escape the inescapable prison, and then kill everyone who wronged you?”

“A little more complex than that, but sure! Everyone here needs a little bit of a reality check. Do you know what it feels like to have all your lives taken from you at once?”

“I mean, I’m still here, so--”

“It’s hell, and I got myself out of being killed a third time. You know, I think some people just need to be stabbed a few times, don’t you think? And then, I can bring them back to life, and kill them a little more slowly the fourth, fifth, hundredth time around.”

Purpled gaped at him. “You’re _actually_ a psychopath. Tommy said you’d changed.”

Dream laughed again, the sound sending shivers up his spine. “Again, reality check, kid. Tommy just understands me now. He sees sense. So, are you with me? If you do, you _may_ fall into the category that I won’t be angry at.”

“But Sam--”

“Okay, cut the shit,” Dream interrupted. “I know you don’t have a loyal bone in your body. You joined the wars in the past because I told you to and you thought it sounded _fun_. You switched sides like five times, I swear!”

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t loyal to, like, fucking _Mantopia_ or whatever,” he scoffed. “That doesn’t mean that I betray everyone I like! Sam is--Sam--”

“Is going to be the one to leave you, then,” Dream cut in harshly. “Look, I’m going to have to speedrun this, because I don’t have a whole week like I had with Tommy. One thing that I taught him, and that you’d be wise to learn, is that nobody ever lasts. You’re going to leave him or he’s going to leave you, like how he left Tommy in here with me. I’m betting you’re going to get the Tommy treatment, because you know how Sam is--he works on one giant project for awhile, and then once it’s done, he moves on.”

“You’re a liar, Dream. You’re just trying to turn me against him.”

Dream shrugged. “Sure, whatever. I guarantee one day, probably soon, you’re going to fuck up because that’s what people do, they fuck up, but he’ll never look at you the same way again. Like when I was trying to take care of George and his stupid little mushroom house, but he ended up hating me for it. I was willing to go to war for him, and he looked at me like I killed his dog. It’s a hard lesson to learn; I’m just trying to help.”

Purpled shook his head. “You’re not getting out, Dream. You’re wrong.”

“Ok.” He shrugged. “Hey, how’s that Egg thing going, by the way?”

He flinched back. The whispers, which had died down to white noise, rose up again. _One of us. Join us, Dream. Join us._ They were so loud that he swore they were actually speaking out loud, in the cell, but Dream didn’t seem to react. He just smiled, and Purpled got the sense he was being read like a book.

“How -- what?” he stammered. _Dream. Dream. Dream. Blood. He will feed us._

“How what?” Dream asked with an innocent smile. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“You don’t know anything. There’s actually no way you can know _anything_ about that. How--who’s visited you?”

Dream tilted his head. “Who’s visited me? Ummmm...Tommy. You aren’t the brightest, are you?”

“I don’t -- shut up for a second.” He had to think, to get everything straight, but it was _so hard_ when there were a million voices and all of them were chanting _Dream, Dream, Dream_ . Why did they like him? How did he _know_?

“Hmmm. Maybe it’s time for you to go. We don’t want to end up like Tommy, paying me an extended visit.” He raised his voice a little. “Sam, I think we’re done here.”

“No, I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on,” Purpled snapped.

“I’ve been in here!” Dream raised his hands, gesturing to the cell. “How am I supposed to know what’s going on? I mean, I know the Egg exists, sure, but that’s just from what my visitors have told me.”

“Does it...talk to you?”

Dream laughed coldly. It echoed across the small room. “Wow. And you called _me_ a psycho...this is awkward. No, an egg doesn’t talk to me.”

“You’re _lying_ ,” he said through clenched teeth. _Dream, Dream, join us._

“I think it’s time for you to leave,” Dream repeated.

“Don’t antagonize the prisoner,” Sam’s muffled voice warned, sounding slightly concerned.

“It wants you out,” he realized aloud. “It wants you to join it.”

“I would listen to Sam before he grounds you,” Dream said patronizingly. “As riveting as it is to hear about an egg who wants me.”

_Dream, Dream, Dream._

“Why are you here, again?” Dream’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Don’t make me ask again.” There was a threatening undercurrent in his voice, and the jolt of fear that ran through him quieted the voices for a moment.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Purpled backed up until his feet splashed in the water in the corner of the cell. “I’ll see you again, Dream.”

“I don’t doubt it,” he replied. “Maybe get a therapist before then, though.”

The last syllable was cut off as he was suddenly teleported and found himself face to face with Sam. The voices quieted again; they didn’t seem to like him very much.

Sam had a teasing glint in his eyes. “Trust you to be the _one_ visitor Dream gets tired of and actually kicks out.” His smile faded as his eyes flicked over Purpled. “Are you okay?”

“I think the Egg likes Dream,” Purpled said slowly. “Which is concerning, right?”

Sam sighed. “Yes, that is. Did the, uh, voices tell you that?”

He nodded, his chest tightening. When were they going to get a break?

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Sam said encouragingly. “We’ll sort out all this Egg stuff, and Dream’s not going anywhere.”

He felt a wave of guilt as he was reminded of Tommy’s plan to help Dream. But surely it wouldn’t actually happen, right? All telling Sam would do was upset him and break Tommy’s trust. He could figure out this _one thing_ , at least. “Thanks, Sam.”

“Come on, let’s go home and get some dinner. What have you been up to today?”

“Napping, mostly,” Purpled lied, distracted. The question had reminded him of his conversation with Tommy. He was supposed to get back to him about helping break Dream out, which obviously wasn’t going to happen.

Sam was talking again, but it was hard to concentrate with the voices crowding his head.

_Free Dream._

* * *

It was dead silent in Sam’s house.

It took a moment for Purpled to fully wake up and realize _why_ it was so quiet. The voices were gone.

Elation rushed through him. So it _was_ just temporary! A disturbing side effect of being near the egg, but Sam was right, it was going to be okay.

_I need to tell Sam_ , was his next thought. His third was realizing it was in the middle of the night, which made him hesitate, but it was _fine_ , because Sam’s sleep schedule was as fucked up as his, proven by the amount of times they ran into each other in the middle of the night. Decision made, he hopped out of bed.

And promptly tripped over something on his way out.

Cursing his past self for being too lazy to clean the room he was staying in at Sam’s (seriously, how did he even have much stuff from the few days he’s been there?), he reached for the lantern on his nightstand, striking a match to light it, because _maybe_ it would be smarter to navigate his maze of a room with a light source.

When the lantern ignited, the room was washed crimson. Bloodvines covered every _inch_ of the walls and were crawling across the floors. They were moving, pulsating, and something tickled the back of his ankle. His heart dropped when he realized what he had tripped over.

“Sam! Oh my God, this can’t be happening,” he muttered. _How did they get here?_ He yelped as he moved his foot and it snagged on something. It was impossible, right? He was inside, he was with Sam, he was _safe_ \--

Purpled finally untangled his feet from the vines, turning around and stumbling towards the nightstand next to his bed. He could’ve sworn he heard a shrill, dying sound coming from where he stepped on the vines, but that was impossible, because they weren’t _actually_ alive, they didn’t have feelings. He shakily set his lantern down and yanked open the drawer, where he vaguely remembered hiding a knife.

“Purpled?” Bad’s voice was suddenly right behind him. Just in time, his hand closed around the hilt, and he spun around, swinging out.

There was a shout of surprise and pain that was definitely _not_ Bad.

Purpled blinked, and there was Sam right in front of him, and the only red in the room was the crimson blood on him.

* * *

_Purpled: i fucked up tommy_

_Purpled: i can’t stay with sam anymore. can i come with you?_

A small smile played at Tommy’s lips as he glanced down at the messages. He leaned back on the bench. “Is this where I tell him ‘I told you so?’”

“What happened?” Bad asked, leaning over to read it over his shoulder. He hummed when he saw the messages.

“I got another person! That’s good, right?” Tommy asked hopefully. _Dream will be proud?_

“Could be worse,” Bad said vaguely. He was like Dream, always dangling compliments in front of him without quite giving them. “The Egg likes him, so.”

“The Egg’s a bitch,” Tommy spat. Bad stiffened beside him. “It doesn’t like _me_.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Bad said tersely. “First we need to focus on Dream. That’s what the Egg cares about right now.”

The words felt ominous to Tommy, but he ignored it, because Dream said he could trust Bad. “I think after I meet up with Purpled, we’re going to find Techno and Ranboo.”

“Once you get them, it’ll be easy,” Bad said. “Let me know when you’re done. I have Ant, Punz, and Ponk at the ready. And the opposition is literally just Sam.”

“I don’t want to kill Sam,” Tommy said suddenly. “Not really. We can do this without killing him, right?”

“Sam betrayed you, Tommy,” Bad said gently, an echo of what Dream told him in the prison. “We can just hope he doesn’t get in our way.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, if you enjoyed, feel free to leave comments/kudos! they make my day
> 
> my next update will probably be my dnf fic because I've been neglecting her for lore angst lately (self-promo moment: if you like dnf and my writing, check it out!) but this fic will also get an update soon because i have some free time now!
> 
> next chapter: tommy pov and techno introduction!!
> 
> thanks friends <3


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